Understanding when a recruit should ask THE BIG QUESTION is commonly viewed as one of the most difficult aspects of the recruiting process. While preparation and education can help a family generate interest from coaches and programs, even the most prepared families will face tough questions during this process. When and how should you initiate the discussion of scholarship money? What’s the best way to tactfully determine a college coach’s level of interest in you as a recruit?
To be perfectly honest, there are no simple answers to these questions. Determining when to take your conversation to the next level with a coach is something that you’ll have to feel out. By understanding the following three concepts, however, you can become comfortable in your ability to recognize when it’s the right time to ask THE BIG QUESTION.
Identify interest
It may sound like a simple concept, but most recruits struggle to accurately gauge college coaches’ interest in them as prospects. Letters and standard emails don’t indicate concrete interest; they simply mean you’re on a mailing list.
You need to actively communicate with coaches about your ability as a player before you move forward in your progression of questions. Without an open and ongoing dialogue between you and a coach, it can be difficult to get honest and helpful answers to your scholarship questions.
Common Mistake: Too often recruits question coaches about the likelihood of a potential scholarship during the very first conversation or interaction. This can be a major turn-off for coaches, who sometimes view such questions as signs of questionable character, and in some cases this may even convince a coach not to take the next step with you or your family. Establish serious interest before you move forward in your scholarship discussions.
Understand need
During initial interactions with coaches, it’s important for recruits to focus on understanding a coach’s or a program’s needs. This concept will come into play at several stages of the recruitment process. First and foremost, you should work toward understanding the needs of the coaches. What is his need for players at your position group? If a coach tells you that he is only recruiting one TE or PG this year, and that he has already offered scholarships for those positions, you can readjust your recruiting effort, avoid the run around, and focus on different schools.
Understanding what a coach might need from you, in order to develop or finalize his evaluation of you as a prospect, can be crucial to recognizing when it’s the right time to ask the big question. Without understanding these questions, you risk offending coaches by jumping into the scholarship conversation prematurely, before they’re ready to discuss their evaluation of your play. Ask the coach simple questions, like, “Coach, is there anything else I can or should send your staff at this time?” or, “What else would help you determine whether or not I’m a good fit for your program?”
Common Mistake: Recruits often waste valuable time during the recruitment process by awaiting decisions from coaches who are not seriously interested in them as prospects. It’s easier to find out information regarding need than it is to get a coach to commit to a simple yes or a no. Look for the signs of genuine interest. If these signs seem to point toward a school lacking interest in or need for you, move on to your next option.
Verify ranking
Ultimately, at some point you should verify where you rank on a coach’s recruiting list or board. The terminology may vary from sport to sport, but every coach will rank his or her prospects at each position. If you can verify where you’re currently ranked, it will be easy for you to determine whether or not it’s the right time to move into the scholarship conversation. If a coach explains that you’re one of his or her top 2-3 prospects, go in for the kill. If they tell you that you currently rank in the 5-6 range, focus your questions on determining what improvements you can make as a player in order to better your ranking with the program.
Common Mistake: It’s quite common for families to be satisfied with being in the “we want you” zone. Once a coach uses language or terminology that indicates he or she is interested, most families fail to escalate the conversation and determine realistic scholarship opportunities. The next time a coach says, “Hey Johnny, we can see you in the blue and gold!” respond with something along the lines of, “Great, does that mean I qualify for a scholarship?”
It’s never easy to determine when it’s the right time to inquire about a scholarship, but following these simple approaches to interactions with coaches can help you ask the right questions at the right time. Remember, if you know that a coach has a sincere interest in you, and you know where you rank relative to that coach’s needs, you shouldn’t have any reservations about asking THE BIG QUESTION.
I have never had the luxury of being able to travel out to America’s most beautiful state, Hawaii. But oh how I have dreamed of living there ever since I realized the dramatic pull of the four seasons and how lovely the winters in Chicago and Columbus Ohio actually are…not. I consider the Hawaiian tradition to be culturally one of the richest and full of values (from everything I have seen in the movies and on TV, which is usually pretty accurate). Moreover, I also see the pacific island state to have a unique way of breeding athletes. Their athletes are traditionally very mentally tough with a niche in perseverance and using their own technique to find success. There is a unique combination between speed and strength that allows the Hawaiian island to get things done their way.
But how can these athletes leave the island to come to the mainland to pursue their collegiate sporting dream? That is precisely the issue that one mom verbalized to me recently. Setting my jealousy of her current location and lifestyle aside, she was one of the most charming people that I have ever spoken with. Her daughter, Kawai, plays volleyball very competitively for her high school and her club team as an outside hitter. She is, as described, a very powerful girl who strikes fear in every opponents eye (at least the girl who stands right across the other side of the net) when she looks to land a dominant spike!
Her mother was very concerned with how they were going to go about getting Kawai into college for volleyball. She has good enough grades, enough volleyball participation and the body frame that volleyball coaches nationwide should want apart of their program, but she really needs exposure. US mainlanders may take the fact that we are centrally located for granted when it comes to exposure. In fact, there are plenty of us that take the stance that we will “get discovered” by a scout in your sport. Even though this is not the truth, there is some truth to the fact that it is easier to get exposure when you live in an area where there is a lot of action.
The reality is that college coaches and scouts don’t travel around the country to discover talent, they travel to get more research on talent that has already been discovered and needs to be evaluated further (Quick tip, if a scout is in attendance at one of your games and doesn’t know who you are, a good game won’t get you a scholarship, it may not get you noticed so make sure they know who you are before hand). So how can Kawai possibly rely on the little chance that a scout will be traveling to Hawaii to come watch her play? Bad news is that she can’t because most colleges can’t afford to send their scouts to Hawaii for any period of time. But that doesn’t mean that Kawai can sit back and take that reality, she can take her future into her own hands by creating exposure. She still has two years in high school, comes from a family with lots of volleyball pedigree, makes her grades and is an ambitious student athlete. Creating exposure for herself by reaching out to college coaches, putting out a video highlight tape, and knowing what is expected of her and going beyond those expectations will land her a position in college. There are many ways to get noticed, it just takes the ambition, the will, and the intelligence to know what you have to do and then to go out and do it.
I believe that Kawai will do this for herself because of the glowing ways her mother talked about her. Her mom actually is looking for exposure for all of Kawai’s teammates because her team has such a passion for the game and they want to keep pursuing their dreams, but they can’t do that without focusing on exposure for themselves and sharing the information with each other.
So for all you athletes that feel that you are being overlooked because of your location, or your high school program, whether it’s a small town, or Hawaii, or your football team hasn’t won a game in the last decade, if you believe you have the skill then pursue the dream. Get yourself some exposure, ask for help and share the knowledge to your teammates and competitors.
Tufts University Head Coach, Cora Thompson shares some insights on recruiting with NCSA Coaches Corner.
1. How would you describe yourself as a coach?
I am very passionate about my job. I am enthusiastic, driven and very goal orientated. I believe that the most important part of my job is to make sure that every single one of my student-athletes has a great college experience balancing her academics and athletics successfully. I truly believe I have the best job in America!
2. What’s unique about the experience at your school?
There are so many great things about coming to school here at Tufts University! If I had to narrow it down I would point to the reasons our currents athletes chose Tufts. Here at our University, athletes get to compete at a really high level DIV III institution where they can compete for a conference, regional and national championship while pursuing other interests. Here at Tufts we do not have a traditional off season with a competitive schedule or mandatory spring training sessions and practices. As a result, many of our student-athletes take the spring semester to explore other activities on campus. We have players actively involved in community service groups, second sports (track, basketball, softball), the Tufts Campus Choir (whether they can sing or not! ) and many of our juniors choose to study abroad the 2nd half of their junior year. Without an official spring season, many of our student-athletes feel free to try new things.
Tufts is also located right next to the best college city in the country! BOSTON! With 60 + colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, there are no shortages of college students to mix with as well as the great opportunities that come with living near a city…career/internship opportunities, diversity, ease of travel by train, plane or car, and plenty of activities that are set just for college students. Boston is a city that needs the student population as much as the students need the city so there is a great working relationship between the groups! For example: free admission to museums, discounts on clothes, books, movie tickets etc…all by showing your student ID in Boston! Many of our players chose Tufts because of it’s global connections, the prestigious academics, and the incredible staff and faculty that are all still active professionals in their respective fields. However, I would say our proximity to Boston is a huge bonus for many of our players. They love that they live on a very beautiful campus but that they have easy access to a city that is just 5 miles away.
One last thing that we are proud of here at Tufts is the fact that there is no “jock culture”. All athletes here at Tufts must be just as academically qualified as every other student in order to be admitted. Athletes are not admitted purely on their athletic abilities. They must be academically competitive. Our athletic department is very proud of the fact that our student-athletes have a higher GPA than the rest of the student body. Our team GPA is a 3.42! As a result, the staff and faculty appreciate the contributions our athletes make in the classrooms and we are fully supported by the administration in every way possible.
Due to the location of the University, our athletes rarely miss a minute of class! We are geographically in the middle of our conference only having to ever drive 2.5 hours south or north and max 3.5 hours to the west! During the regular season, we don’t miss a minute of class!
3. What do recruits need to know about you?
I love Tufts and everything about it! Most importantly, I have lived the experience of a student-athlete here at Tufts. I attended Tufts and played volleyball and softball here while pursuing a degree in Psychology (I came in as a Civil Engineer!). Having been in my athletes shoes, I understand the intense academic work load and how challenging it can be to balance every aspect of your college life. I have a direct appreciation for what you will be asked to do here as a student-athlete.
Also, I truly believe that I have the best job in America and don’t see myself leaving. I love our sport, I love learning, and I am always looking for ways to improve as a coach so that I can push you to be the best you can be. Work in progress…all of us…always!
4. What do you look for in recruits?
I look for athletes who are passionate and mentally strong who have a great sense of self confidence balanced with humility. Athletes need to be self-motivated, versatile and have a strong work ethic as well as the ability and desire to self assess. It is important to be coachable while working within our team structure. The mental and physical investment and commitment of every player on our roster is also crucial for our success as a team. Players need to be able and or be willing to learn how to communicate effectively while operating in a team atmosphere. We are looking for players who have competed at a high level, who have the desire to not only succeed on the court but also in the classroom. We want players who want to be life long learners, who will bring great qualities to our court and hopefully leave with even more as they graduate to the next phase of their lives.
5. What is the one thing every recruit needs to do with the recruiting process?
I love when an athlete promotes herself by contacting me directly and following up. Make sure to stay in touch with the coaches you are most interested in playing for. Provide your transcripts, test scores, high school profiles and a brief skills video for us and let us know when and where we can see you play live. Promote yourself. Set your own meetings up with coaches. We want to get to know you as well as your parents and coaches, but YOU are the product we are looking to invest in. If we don’t know you, it will be hard for us to select you. Remember their are a lot more of you than us (College coaches) so be in touch often with questions, updates and calls if you are truly interested. This will set you apart from the many others.
Also, make sure that you research the academic requirements for admissions at all of the schools you are interested in to make sure that you are a viable candidate. Make sure that you are aware of the academic opportunities at each school offers so that you won’t waste your time (or waste the coaches time) if your major of interest isn’t offered there. Find out ahead of time whether or not a college or univeristy will be a good fit before you contact the coaches. You don’t want to get your hopes up or ours if it won’t be a good fit!
Finally, if coaches have summer camps or clinics, try to attend! This is a great way for us to see your level of play and more importantly get to know you as a person. Remember that as much as we are recruiting talent, we are recruiting great personalities. Camps and clinics can be a great way to show case yours!
6. What sort of questions do you really like to hear from recruits?
I am always impressed when a recruit has already researched the University and our program online before she comes to visit. This pre-research is important so that when you get to my office we can talk about this things that aren’t on the website. Questions we love to hear:
- How do your athletes balance their academics with athletics?
- How long are road trips and do your athletes miss a lot of class for volleyball?
- Are their any academic or major restrictions from being an athlete?
Other questions that touch on our team values or my coaching philosophy along with our priorities as a program are good ones to ask. Questions about the time commitment for in season and out of season volleyball activities are important to ask as well.
7. What turns you off when you’re recruiting a student athlete?
When an athlete does not have any questions for me, it appears that she doesn’t have a true interest. If you are planning on meeting with a coach, have a list of questions prepared and do a little bit of research ahead of time. Do more talking then your parents. Again, the recruitment process is about you and if your parents do all of the talking and ask all of the questions, it is really hard for us to get to know you.
We are also turned off by any signs of selfishness, speaking poorly about previous coaches or teammates, texting and or not making eye contact while meeting (believe us – it has happened!), and or the general “chip on the shoulder”. When we sense that a player is in it for her own stats or for guaranteed playing time…this player will not fit into the system we have worked so hard to create. Our team chemistry is far more valuable to us than wins. If we sense that a recruit would throw off this chemistry (even if she is incredibly talented), it’s not worth it to us to continue recruiting her.
8. What do you think your program is the most successful at?
We do a great job of offering our players a great collegiate athletic experience. So much so that they never want to leave as seniors and they always want one more practice after that last season ending ball drops! We have a high retention rate with our recruits actively recruiting only what we need to avoid just filling our bench with high numbers. It is important to us that players dramatically improve during their four years here both personally as well as athletically. We work hard to stay at the top of New England but also know that success is not to be taken for granted. We remain humble and know that every year is a new year with new challenges. We are a mentally tough program with the ability to adjust and stay composed throughout the inevitable ups and downs that happen during the course of a season. We are most successful at creating an inspiring, supportive and comfortable team environment every year where our players feel free to take risks as their push themselves out of their own comfort zones. My athletes are incredibly smart and creative young woman who are always looking for the next challenge. They push themselves daily on the court and in the classroom and take great pride in the awesome tradition they are building that is Tufts University Volleyball!
9. Why should a recruit consider your program?
At Tufts University, athletes have the chance to combine all of their passions in a balanced fashion. They will get to play for a very high level DIV III program while pursuing their academic dreams at an incredibly challenging and prestigious institution. In addition, they can get involved with other clubs and groups on campus and even study abroad. Tufts is a great place to come and “do it all” without sacrificing the quality of anything!
10. If a recruit is interested in your program, how should they reach out to you?
If you are interested in learning more about our program, please visit our homepage and fill out our online recruit questionnaire. This will get you officially in our system and then we can connect with you and send you even more information about the University.
http://ase.tufts.edu/athletics/womenvolleyball
If you are doing college tours, email and call ahead to set up a meeting so we can learn more about you and show you around our facilities. If you are a rising senior, you should send us a DVD, transcript, test scores and a high school profile as soon as possible.
While in High school I had no desire to go to College, I was more involved with a counter-productive social career and was not focused in the classroom. However, I still loved soccer more than anything and I played on various competitive club teams in Phoenix/Scottsdale Arizona and was always a State Title Contender. I was also 1 of 2 freshmen to make the #1 ranked High School varsity team in the State. During my junior year I was so interested in my social life I went to a party the night before a State Cup game. I had an accident and lost all vision in my right eye, tearing my iris and permanently damaging my pupil. I didn’t sleep that night nor did I tell my parents because the pain was so intense and I did not want to get in trouble for drinking under age. I woke my mom up around 6AM because I still couldn’t see and the pain was too much to bear. I missed my State Cup game and as Captain let my entire team down. During the game, I was at the eye Dr. receiving the news that I would most likely not be able to see out of that eye ever again. This was the worst day in my entire life. Two weeks went by where I had sat in a dark room with an eye patch on watching TV, still blind in my right eye. Slowly I regained most of my vision but it took a few months until I could take the eye patch off and function normally and play soccer again. The Dr. told me I was lucky to have any vision at all and believe me I am aware of it. After I started playing again, my team toured campuses in the Seattle area after a showcase tournament. I fell in love with Seattle Pacific University’s campus, coaching staff and they were a D2 power house with a winning D1 record, 5 National Titles, 10 National Title game appearances and is also located in the heart of Seattle. It was during that visit that I knew I wanted to go to College and play soccer.
After that weekend I enrolled at Paradise Valley Community College because I had been recruited heavily by the head coach. I had a solid season and also played with the Arizona U-19 State Champions and placed 3rd in the Regional Tournament. I got my grades up so I was eligible to play at a University and began hounding coaches to come watch me play. I filmed games, made highlights, and sent them to around 100 coaches after my season (even though my goal was Seattle Pacific I wanted options). I had various interest but no solid offers even after leading the league in assists, and being in the top 5 in goals, making the All Region team and being an All-American Candidate. I received sparse interest and offered a few official visits from schools like St. Mary’s, UC Irvine, San Jose State, Concordia (OR), and a few other programs. I had been in contact with Seattle Pacific and the head coach was going to attend my last playoff game. He unfortunately got fogged in on his flight from San Francisco and couldn’t make it. I had scored 2 goals that game against 13 time NJCAA national title winners Yavapai CC with my dream school not there to watch (we lost 3-2 with 3 seconds left in the second OT in the Regional semi-final so my season was over). I spoke to the coach and he offered me a chance to fly out on my own dime and try out for the team in the spring. I was on a strict time line with my other offers so I turned them all down including a few full ride offers to a D2 school and NAIA program. I ended up trying out at SPU and got the scholarship I needed to play. I went on to have two playoff seasons at SPU and also went on to play semi-professionally outdoor and indoor and also won 3 regional titles playing in 2 National Final Fours outside of the collegiate level.
I am sharing this story so people can see how much athletics in College has shaped my life and how difficult the recruiting process can be. I was able to receive a private school education, travel around the country, play the sport I loved, and create friendships that I will have the rest of my life. I work at NCSA so I can give that chance to other student athletes that strive to reach it or are unaware what they will be missing out on.
It is important to meet with your guidance counselor at the beginning of the year to track the courses you are taking match the NCAA Eligibility Center core courses list and that you are on pace.
Season Schedules:
Post schedule on recruiting profile. Send to coaches to invite them to games/matches, e.t.c.
Fall Sports:
Pre-season conditioning and practice has started. Competition and games will now begin. Expect coach correspondence to be slower at this point.
Non Fall Sports:
Meet with High School Coach – learn about expectations, tryouts, getting on varsity if unsure at this point.
Winter Sports:
If you are not attending pre-season workouts and your coach does not have any pre-season conditioning, you need to prepare for practice and tryouts by working out at least 3 times a week. This is a good time to reach out to college coaches, before their season starts.
Spring Sports:
If you do not play a second sport in the fall, you should be depending on your sport, playing fall ball (i.e. softball, baseball), attending tournaments (i.e. golf) or going to camps (i.e. lacrosse). This is a good time to reach out to college coaches, before their season starts.
SEPTEMBER RECRUITING CALENDARS
Men’s Basketball:
September 1-8 Quiet Period
September 9-31 Contact Period
Women’s Basketball:
September 1-15 Quiet Period
September 16-31 Contact Period
Baseball:
September 1-9 Quiet Period
September 10-31 Contact Period
Men’s Lacrosse: Contact Period (No Evaluations)
Cross Country/Track and Field, Softball, Volleyball, Women’s Lacrosse: Contact Period
Football: Quiet Period, except for below:
42 evaluation days (54 for U.S. service academies) (see Bylaw 13.02.6.2) during the months of September, October and November, (not to exceed a period of 42 days) selected at the discretion of the institution and designated in writing in the office of the director of athletics; authorized off-campus recruiters shall not visit a prospective student-athlete’s educational institution on more than one calendar day during this period.
PHONE CALLS
2011 Grads (Seniors)
Division I:
Men’s Basketball – 2x per week.
Football – 1x per week starting on September 1st.
All Other Sports – 1x per week.
Division II:
All Sports – 1x per week.
Division III/NAIA/2-year:
All Sports – Unlimited.
2012 Grads (Juniors)
Division I:
Men’s Basketball/Men’s Ice Hockey – 1x per month.
Division II:
Not Allowed.
Division III/NAIA/2-year:
All Sports – Unlimited.
2013 & 2014 Grads (Underclassman)
Division I/II:
Not Allowed.
Division III/NAIA/2-year:
All Sports – Unlimited.
EMAILS & LETTERS
2011 Grads (Seniors)
All Divisions:
All Sports – Unlimited.
2012 Grads (Juniors)
Division I:
Men’s Basketball and Men’s Ice Hockey – Unlimited.
Division I/II:
All Sports – Allowed Starting on and after September 1st.
Division III/NAIA/2-year:
All Sports – Unlimited.
2013 & 2014 Grads (Underclassman)
Division I/II:
Not Allowed.
Division III/NAIA/2-year:
All Sports – Unlimited.
*Please Note: Some DIII/NAIA/2-year programs have institutional or conference rules prohibiting the college coach to may contact before the student-athletes senior year.
NCAA rule changes often have unintended consequences. In 2004 when Division I Athletics adopted new rules based on the Academic Progress Rate (APR) the main goals were to hold schools to tougher admission standards and then make them accountable to graduate players once they arrived on campus. Six years later coaches have adjusted to the rules and some of the consequences aren’t what you would think. A recent study on NCAA.org surveyed Directors of Football operations at 234 schools revealed some very interesting results.
We found that more than 45 percent of the 103 respondents said they changed their recruiting strategy due to the APR. More than half (56.3 percent) said they would be at least slightly less likely to recruit student-athletes who could be identified as potential discipline problems. Almost 65 percent were less likely to recruit academically challenged student-athletes, and about 45 percent said they would shy away from “special admits.”
While those results may be positive, the opposite appears true when it comes to retention.
About 43 percent of respondents felt their programs were at least slightly likely to retain student-athletes who become discipline problems. Add in another 5.8 percent who felt their programs were extremely more likely to retain a discipline problem, and you have almost half the teams feeling as though the APR forces them to keep student-athletes despite their not abiding by team or institutional policies.
Meanwhile, only about 9 percent of football programs said they were slightly less likely to retain these types of student-athletes.
Roughly 60 percent of college football operations directors said they have not changed retention strategies due to the APR legislation, especially when it comes to student-athletes who have convicted misdemeanors or felonies. However, our survey showed that 17.5 percent of programs were at least slightly more likely to retain a student-athlete who has been convicted of a misdemeanor. Only 6 percent of football programs said that they were at least slightly more likely to retain a student-athlete convicted of a felony.
So what does this data mean? On the surface it appears more players are graduating, but coaches feel compelled to “stick it out” with the bad apples on their team.
More importantly, What WILL it mean? I predict there will be two major outcomes if this survey is consistent across college sports. One, the NCAA will create another rule. Two, coaches will place an even greater emphasis on evaluating grades and character during the recruiting process. They don’t want to be stuck with any mistakes, because dismissing them from will put the program in a bigger hole. Recruits will need to start preparing as freshman to make sure their academic, athletic, and personal resume’s show the potential for a stellar college student-athlete.
Sports can have a profound impact on the world. Whether you are a current athlete, coach, parent, or even a fan, sport is ingrained in our culture and provides inspiration that fuels our daily lives.
To honor this concept NCSA is proud to launch the “What’s Your Story” Project. The aim to spread our message of empowering future leaders through athletics. We want athletes of all types to contribute to our What’s Your Story? page on Facebook with their videos, blogs, short stories, pictures and messages of how athletics have shaped your life. Our team knows that without athletics, we wouldn’t be where we are today.
This is your chance to share your story with the world. You story could help change lives. Share it.
How many of you student athletes have a Twitter account and use it on a daily basis? For all of those that answered here’s an exercise for you (if you answered no, keep reading and take notes). If you answered yes, split screen this window, open up your twitter account and click on the link that lets you look at all the tweets that you have put out in the last week/month/year. How many of you would truthfully say that your tweets have a good positive message or intend on helping you get from one place to another (fyi tweets that shout out your homeboy, RT rap lyrics, or listing out a.k.a’s definitely do not count)?
Twitter is a powerful tool that if used properly can have positive impact and can take you from place to place. Maybe you scored three goals in a semifinal playoff game, tweet that. Maybe you hit the game winning shot and your mom got it on video, tweet that. Or even if you found out you got a 28 on your ACT, definitely tweet that. Maybe your girlfriend just dumped you and you feel that the only person that understands you is Lil Wayne, don’t tweet that. The point is the power of Twitter is that anyone and everyone that has an account can reach out to you and hear what you are trying to communicate. Yep that could include the head coach or the scout that is recruiting you too.
I would like to acknowledge two young men who have advocated for themselves through Twitter, who are now on the right steps to getting themselves to playing college ball. Chris and Joe, basketball and football players both have been responding to my tweets, reaching out to me expressing a desire for someone to look at them. Before I went any further I opened up their profiles and strolled through it. Chris was sending out a new message just about every hour. Who could possibly say something intelligent or important every hour as a HS student? Chris did. He was giving praise to those that he followed in the athletic field, he was talking about his passion for the game and how much he wanted an opportunity to play college ball. Joe’s profile had more links to recruiting articles and with links that directed you to articles that were written about him. Both of these kids were marketing themselves and doing it well.
From there I engaged the two on separate conversations. Both kids told me how badly they wanted to play in college. I told them that as soon as they were able to have their parents respond to me and call my office line that that would show me how serious they were. Boom, calls within a 45 minute time frame and they are now both talking with our scouts who will really evaluate them. Maybe they are D1 talents, maybe they are D3 talents, they now will know where they fit in and they both told me they just wanted the opportunity.
The point here is that if you have a passion, if your being proactive about it and look for ways to reach out to people who can help you get one step closer to that passion. Twitter is growing everyday, meaning the people who now have Twitter accounts extends from young to old and everyone can look at you. Since Chris and Joe were polished, educated, and savvy they now are talking to scouts who have played college basketball and college football. They are that much closer to playing in college, they are that much closer to receiving a roster spot and to tell mom and dad that they were also able to go to college and have a scholarship offer.
Doesn’t it make sense to think twice about what you can put out there? I don’t want to hear about what you had for breakfast or what lyric you are listening too, I want to hear how that breakfast is going to fuel you for practice or how that lyric inspired you to practice for 30 more minutes. Be smart and go get it!
Think again. NCSA’s very own, John Lopez, shares his recruiting story (so far) and is also one of the only student-athletes on Max Prep’s top 100 watch list to have an offer, and that is with no varsity playing time!
Don’t forget college coaches depend on verified information when they are recruiting prospects. Find out how you can get verified by calling the NCSA Athletic Recruiting Team today at 866.579.6272.
Stay tuned to see how many offers John has after this season!
interest in you as a recruit?
) and many of our juniors choose to study abroad the 2nd half of their junior year. Without an official spring season, many of our student-athletes feel free to try new things.